Society

The struggles of Brazilians studying abroad

University of Chicago brazilian
University of Chicago campus. Photo: E.Q. Roy/Shutterstock

Gabriel Araújo had given up hope of attending college abroad. It was late May 2017, and while most of his peers had made it into top American universities with full scholarships, Gabriel was rejected from eight of the ten institutions he applied to. But when the admissions officer for the University of Bridgeport called him on Skype to announce he would be one of the three Global Leaders Scholars for 2017—the university’s most prestigious merit-based scholarship—the Brazilian student was left speechless.

Gabriel’s first reaction was to share the news with his mother. The low-income student from Brazil’s third-poorest state of Alagoas would be the first in his family to attend college abroad.

But he was unsure whether his dream of studying in the U.S. would come true until the very last minute. Gabriel only received his financial aid package a few weeks before classes started. While the scholarship covered all costs bar health insurance and housing fees, Gabriel’s family, whose monthly income was around USD 250, could not afford the additional USD 3,600. To study abroad, he would have to take several on-campus jobs. So he did.

Gabriel was one of over 14,600 Brazilians who began their studies in the U.S. in 2017, a number that has increased by a further 9.8 percent in 2018, according to the Institute of International Education Open Doors Report. Despite still recovering from its worst recession ever, with the Brazilian Real hitting all-time nominal lows in November, Brazil saw the second-largest increase in international students in the U.S. in 2018. It now sends the ninth-most students worldwide, and is the leader in Latin America.

Funding for international students in the U.S. is limited, which leads most Brazilian students abroad financing their own education. Yet, for low-income Brazilians like Gabriel, getting one of the few scholarships available for foreign students can serve as a tool for social mobility.

To get into American universities with scholarships, many low-income Brazilian students rely on free community-based preparatory programs. Initiatives such as EducationUSA’s Opportunity Funds and Fundação Estudar’s Prep Estudar Fora—which together have prepared more than 600 students over the past decade—are designed...

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